Boston’s all too brief outdoor dining season is underway…whether you’re looking for a sunny spot where you can watch the world go by, or a quiet little urban oasis in which to enjoy dinner, there’s an al fresco area to suit your mood in the BostonChefs.com Outdoor Dining Guide.
Abigail’s
Abigail’s in Kendall Square offers a fun spot to grab a flatbread and beer after work (or during lunch—they’re open all day). The building’s recessed corner provides a perfect nest for Abigail’s patio, where two-tone wooden furniture and orange umbrellas welcome guests to linger over an outdoor snack or enjoy a cocktail.
Alba
With high walls and lush greenery, Alba’s rooftop dining area makes it easy to forget that you’re dining in the middle of Quincy Center. It’s a perfect location for eating a steak under the stars or enjoying the game with a cold drink and some fresh air.
Alden & Harlow
The subterranean spot on Brattle Street is bringing their cult favorite Secret Burger outdoors with their large patio. The seasonal hang sports blue umbrellas so you can lounge in the shade while you sip a cocktail and people watch in Harvard Square.
Amelia's Trattoria
Amelia’s Trattoria, just outside Kendall Square, offers folks at nearby MIT and the biotech firms a perfect spot to get some fresh air and recharge over lunch or dinner en plein air. The petit sidewalk patio is lined with flowering plants and shrubs, and covered by shade-casting umbrellas.
Aquitaine Boston
Aquitaine, the grande dame of the South End’s French restaurants, recently unveiled its brand new sidewalk patio – twenty years in the making. The elegant little Tremont Street perch is lined with planters and shaded by striped umbrellas (très chic, as the French would say).
Aquitaine Dedham
With a little more room to spread out – one of the perks of their suburban location – Aquitaine Dedham at Legacy Place is the only of the three Aquitaine locations to boast outdoor seating. Enjoy classic French fare en plein air.
Area Four Boston
Area Four Boston brings their signature fare, cooked in and over open flames, to the great outdoors. Swing by their South End patio to enjoy a pizza pie, or one of their coveted meat or fish entrees, while basking in the evening sun.
Area Four
Looking out over the green at Technology Square, Area Four’s sidewalk patio is a perfect perch for an outdoor meal. Snag one of the wrought iron tables for breakfast, lunch or dinner and enjoy chef-owner Michael Leviton's menu of small plates, sandwiches or breakfast pastries with a cup of coffee.
ArtBar
ArtBar, the Royal Sonesta’s signature restaurant, may be one of the city’s best kept al fresco secrets. The riverside patio, practically on the banks of the Charles, offers shaded tables where diners can escape the summer sun, and spectacular views of the twinkling Boston skyline after the sun goes down.
Ashmont Grill
Warmed by powerful heat lamps and a central fire pit, Dorchester diners can sit outside from mid-spring well into October at Ashmont Grill. Chef-owner Chris Douglass, also of Tavolo, serves up delicious, fresh-from-the-farm comfort food at neighborhood joint prices.
11 Fan Pier Boulevard
Boston, MA 02210
617-421-4466
Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca
Enjoy pizza (or pasta or whatever your hungry little heart desires) on the patio Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca. The Boston outpost of Mario Batali’s constantly-expanding empire is situated right on Fan Pier so you can enjoy the salt air with your salumi (or your sorbetto).
25 Edwin H Land Boulevard
Cambridge, MA 02141
617-868-4444
Bambara Restaurant
It seems appropriate, given their environmentally friendly leanings, that Bambara at the Hotel Marlowe should carve out a little green space for itself. The petite, plant-lined patio is just a stone's throw from the banks of the Charles, and an awfully nice spot for a tired shopper or traveler to have a bite to eat and enjoy some fresh air.
